Hey hockey is back. That's fun, right?
It seems like forever ago this disappointment of a team was losing in Colorado and Calgary to head into the All-Star break. But tonight, FINALLY, hockey returns.
Edmonton is in town in a battle of Western Conference also-rans. Now the Oilers are way more putrid than the Blues—38 points for the Oil to the Blues 51, but let's not kid ourselves here. The Blues aren't one of the elite teams that's just going to pound away at the Oilers. The last time these two teams met, Edmonton won in overtime.
This is a must-win, but not a guaranteed win.
The last time the Blues played Edmonton was also the last time Andy McDonald wore a normal NHL helmet. Happy Meal and his giant helmet with giant visor will return to the ice tonight and should provide a lift to the Blues. Lost in all of the slurping of T.J. Oshie is the fact that McDonald was probably the biggest loss for the Blues.
Little Mac had 8-9-17 in 25 games for the Blues. That's pretty good. With McDonald, the Blues were 12-9-4. Without him? 10-13-3. Not good times. Hopefully he's ready to play and this isn't a desperate move by a desperate team.
Ty Conklin may get the start tonight and that's not a good sing for two reasons. One) Conklin has been pretty awful this season—.873 save percentage and a 3.32 goals against— and two) Jaroslav Halak is hurt.
Good times.
But hey, it's hockey. It's better than baseball and I guarantee the worst hockey game you see will be better than most sports. This game should be better than the Super Bowl.
Sit back, relax and watch some puck.
This is your GDT. Let's do it.